NEWBERRY — The Grow Newberry Farmers Market (GNFM) announces that the market was selected to receive an AgSouth Farm Credit farmers market support grant in the amount of $500. The GNFM was one of fifty markets throughout AgSouth’s territory in Georgia and South Carolina to receive a portion of $25,000 in total grant funds. The grant will be used for advertising and promotion of the venue.
“We are pleased to have been selected to receive AgSouth’s Think Outside the Store® farmers market grant. The funds will be helpful in promoting the market and in educating and encouraging our community to think ‘farm fresh’ when planning their meals,” Farmers Market Co-Coordinator Michelle Long said
”We are excited to have been selected to receive AgSouth’s farmers market grant. We will use the funds to promote our market and encourage many more citizens to enjoy wonderful Saturday mornings in downtown Newberry,” Co-Coordinator Liz MacDonald said,
According to AgSouth Farm Credit Marketing Director Christy Smith, to be eligible to receive a grant, applicants had to provide a detailed marketing plan describing how they would use the grant funds to promote the market.
“We received many applications with some very creative marketing plans, and it was very hard for our selection committee to choose among the many excellent applications we received. The Grow Newberry Farmers Market was chosen because of its strategic and very specific marketing plan designed to increase public awareness of the market,” she said.“Many farmers get their start selling to local markets. Our grant program was designed to support these young farmers by helping to create public awareness of how choosing to shop at your local farmers market benefits not only a community’s health, but also its economy, much in the same way our own patronage program [the cooperative’s profit sharing program] benefits not only our members, but the communities we serve. This year we were able to support farmers markets in 44 of the counties we serve. This is the seventh year we have been supporting our local markets, and we’re proud to continue that support.”
